But now the 27-year-old, who has devoted the past two years to working as a youth co-ordinator at the St Mary’s Church Porch Project, could be heading for a career in the music industry.

Songwriter Mr Hutton, backed by his group the White Goose Posse, is in the final five of the United Christian Broadcasting (UCB) Unsigned Song of The Year competition.

He penned the song Mysterious Love, played guitar on the track and performed lead vocals. If the public vote for him on the UCB website, his song could be added to the UK playlist and feature on a nationally distributed CD.

Mr Hutton, who is originally from Northern Ireland, has only been in Hadleigh for two years but he has already become a pivotal figure in the town because of his voluntary work.

A Porch Project regular said: “Craig has done so much for the people of Hadleigh, we think it would be wonderful if everyone could vote for his song because he deserves to win. We want him to know how grateful we are for everything he’s done.”

Mr Hutton, who said he was humbled by the support his song had received, believes his music has broad appeal.

He said: “I think it’s popular because it has a religious ethos but isn’t ‘bible-bashing’ in any way. You would normally associate Christianity with hymns but this song has a more rock/folk feel.”

The top five shortlisted songs have been put to a public vote, which closes on Monday night. To vote for Craig, go to www.ucb.co.uk/unsigned.